|
November 2006 |
|
where one or two calls a week to a given farmer help them ensure that a product will be available and on the menu. Most chefs typically buy the bulk of their weekly local produce from a few main farmers with whom they have developed a relationship over several years. Amongst these experienced chefs, phone calls and trips to market do not perturb quite as much as one might expect.
Variable availability of ingredients often induces more creative menu development, forcing chefs to hone their craft and giving farmers a bit more leeway. Experienced farmers often have a better idea of how long they will have a certain ingredient available, and as a result these farmers can often give chefs an accurate depiction of how long and with what consistency an ingredient will be available. Sweet potatoes were given as an example of an ingredient where consistency of availability is desired.
Nevertheless, if given the option of reducing the amount of time spent communicating with farmers combined with an increasing guarantee of availability and consistency of product, perhaps more chefs would be induced to spend locally rather than funneling more money into larger distributors.
Besides establishing more local brokerage for farm products, other ways to increase the amount of local product consumed by local restaurants include education for chefs and reaching out to institutions, like Duke Dining Services, who recently announced an effort to commit more purchasing money to local suppliers.
A state or county mandate demanding a high percentage of local buying for institutions like schools and prisons, with enforcement, would be an incredible step towards increasing the market for local product. Educating farmers on extending growing seasons for certain crops through high tunnels and row covers would also allow for increased consumption. Subsidizing fresh food over corn and soybeans in the next Farm Bill would be revolutionary.
Similarly, subsidizing a farm incubator or agri-education facility teaching new techniques in organic farming like season extension would help increase the overall population of local farmers, creating a richer and more diverse set of products in the local market. Of course, with increases in interest in local consumption come opportunistic farmers, and the possibility of increased demand driving prices for normal consumers upward is a possibility. There may very well be periods where retail prices move beyond reasonable levels as customers begin to demand more and farmers see the opportunity for profit.
Speaking of increased demand, many folks are taking about processing facilities for locally produced livestock. While we are in the middle of a rich hog-producing region, including pasture-raised pork, restaurants still go through national distributors like Niman Ranch. Chickens are brought in from outside the region, since the larger companies promise more availability and consistency. One of the most often cited missing links in the local food system is the lack of efficient, reliable, high-quality processing and distribution infrastructure for local naturally raised livestock, including pond-raised ducks, heritage breed chickens, and pastured pork.
Processing facilities operate best in economies of scale, where a critical mass of input is necessary to justify the development of infrastructure. Convincing local governments to help fund such development projects does not seem as easy as convincing local government to offer tax breaks to large corporations who promise thousands of induced jobs from huge facilities. Until the economic value of locally produced food is more clearly understood, garnering financial support for a local processing facility that can compete with national distributors seems dubious.
Seems like the best way to find out what local chefs want from farmers is to go work in the kitchen at a local restaurant and listen to the chef. And that’s what this author will be doing when the farm season ends. See you around. — Charlie St.Clair |
...continued from previous page
